Department for Transport

Railways: North of England

Lord Scriven: To ask His Majesty's Government what additional steps they are planning to take to deal with (1) poor performance by TransPennine Express trains, and (2) any health and safety issues that arise due to overcrowding on the services that are operated.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department’s Rail North Partnership with Transport for the North continues to work with TransPennine Express on plans for how and when the operator will introduce originally-planned services that are reliable, punctual and predictable for passengers.

Railways: Tickets

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the proposed closures of railway ticket offices on people who are (1) elderly, (2) deaf, or (3) blind or partially sighted; and what steps they will take in response to any such assessment.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: If a train operating company (TOC) proposes the closure of ticket offices, they must follow the process set out in the Ticketing and Settlement Agreement (TSA). This sets out how TOCs must consider the needs of all passengers when proposing alternative arrangements.Together with industry we want to improve and modernise the experience for all passengers, giving staff more flexible roles allows them to better support the overall needs of elderly, deaf, blind or partially sighted passengers.If called upon to make a determination on a specific ticket office proposal, the Secretary of State will follow the TSA process and comply with his own Public Sector Equality Duty by taking equality implications into account.

Leader of the House of Lords

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office: Written Questions

Lord Rogan: To ask the Leader of the House when they expect to answer the Written Question tabled by Lord Rogan on 17 November (HL3519) and due for answer on 1 December.

Lord True: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office has confirmed a response to your written question was initially issued on time, but a technical error prevented it from being published by the 1 December deadline.The FCDO has assured my office that a new response will be issued in the week commencing 9 January 2023 and the Department will write to you directly with an explanation for the delayed response.My office will continue to work closely with all departments, including the FCDO, to ensure they conduct regular reviews of their systems and processes to prevent future incidents.I regret the error and I will be reminding all colleagues at Front Bench of their duty to provide prompt responses to written questions in the House within the 10 day target, as stipulated in the Companion.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

Industrial Energy Transformation Fund

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to confirm the budget allocated to the Energy Investment Fund in (1) 2021–22, and (2) 2022–23.

Lord Callanan: The Energy Investment Fund is a Scottish Government initiative. Its budget is not a matter for the UK Government.

Energy Bills Rebate: Northern Ireland

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to complete the process of delivering £600 in energy support payments to all households in Northern Ireland.

Lord Callanan: On 19th December, the Government announced that all households in Northern Ireland will receive support with their energy bills this winter through a single payment of £600. This is made up of £400 of the Energy Bills Support Scheme and £200 of the Alternative Fuel Payment. This will be delivered through electricity suppliers, with payments starting in January and concluding as soon as is reasonably practicable.

Mathematics: Postgraduate Education

Lord Clement-Jones: To ask His Majesty's Government how many PhDs in mathematics (1) were funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) from 2019–22, and (2) will be funded by UKRI in 2022–25.

Lord Callanan: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), within UK Research and Innovation, funds Mathematical Sciences from its core budget, typically spending c£25-30 million/per annum for grants, fellowships, and studentships. In addition, they have committed a further £124 million which will spend out to 2028-29 as part of the Additional Funding Programme for Mathematic Sciences (AFPMS) commitment. The main route through which EPSRC usually funds PhD students is through a doctoral training block grant, allocated to Universities who then allocate funds as appropriate. In addition, the discipline received funding for approximately an additional 400 PhD positions through the AFPMS.

Department for Education

Gambling: Education

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to review the statutory guidance Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education to provide further clarification on what pupils should know about online gambling.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the statutory guidance Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education (RSE) and Health Education in preventing harmful gambling by school pupils.

Baroness Barran: The statutory curriculum for relationships, sex and health education (RSHE) covers the risks relating to gambling, including the accumulation of debt. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education.Teaching about gambling and financial risks is also reinforced by other curriculum areas, including teaching financial literacy in citizenship and relevant topics in mathematics.To support teachers to deliver these topics safely and with confidence, we have produced RSHE teacher training modules that are free to download from GOV.UK and include the dangers associated with gambling. These can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/teaching-about-relationships-sex-and-health.The department is monitoring the implementation of RSHE, including measuring teacher confidence in teaching the statutory requirements. The department has contracted with IFF Research to undertake a national survey of headteachers, RSHE leads and RSHE teachers, supported by qualitative research with school staff and pupils.The research will assess whether schools are teaching the subjects effectively and how good teaching of different topics can affect wider outcomes. It will also seek evidence on how to deliver high-quality teaching which the department will use to inform any further support. The research will provide emerging findings to inform decisions about our review of the RSHE statutory guidance. The department anticipates the final report of this research will be published in early 2024.

Schools: Weather

Baroness Berridge: To ask His Majesty's Government how many of the schools in England that had days of closure due to weather conditions in the last 12 months provided vouchers to replace Free School Meals to their pupils.

Baroness Berridge: To ask His Majesty's Government how many children entitled to free school meals were not provided with a meal or its equivalent when their school was closed due to adverse weather conditions in the last 12 months.

Baroness Berridge: To ask His Majesty's Government how many schools in England have a voucher system in operation that can be used to replace free school meals in the event of unexpected school closure.

Baroness Barran: Schools have a duty to provide Free School Meals (FSM) for registered pupils, either on school premises or at any other place where education is being provided. If the school is closed due to extreme weather and/or extenuating circumstances, and education is not being provided for pupils elsewhere, then the school would not be expected to provide free school meals.Where meals are provided, our guidance advises schools to work with their school catering team or food provider to provide good quality lunch parcels. Where this is not practicable, schools may make local arrangements to supply vouchers.The Department does not keep records of which schools make meal or voucher provision during periods of closure, nor the number of pupils supported under such arrangements.Around 1.9 million pupils are claiming FSM. Together with a further 1.25 million infants supported through UIFSM policy, over one third of school children are now provided with a free meal, at a cost of over £1 billion a year. The department currently has generous protections in place, ensuring that eligible pupils keep their FSM entitlement even if their household circumstances improve.

Students: Loans

Baroness Chapman of Darlington: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of maintenance loans rising by 2.3 per cent on (1) ethnic minority, and (2) disadvantaged, students.

Baroness Barran: Decisions on student support are taken on an annual basis. The department has continued to increase student living costs support each year with a 2.3% increase to maximum loans and grants for living and other costs for the 2022/23 academic year. Students who have been awarded a loan for living costs for the 2022/23 academic year that is lower than the maximum, and whose household income for the tax year 2022/23 has dropped by at least 15% compared to the income provided for their original assessment, can apply for their entitlement to be reassessed.An Equality Impact Assessment was undertaken prior to a decision being taken on increases to maintenance loans and grants by 2.3%. The overall assessment was that the changes would have a marginally positive impact for those with and without protected characteristics. This can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/higher-education-student-finance-2022-to-2023-equality-analysis.The UCAS end of cycle report shows that in 2022 there were record numbers of 18-year-olds getting into university, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. An English 18-year-old from a disadvantaged background today is 86% more likely to go to university than in 2010.The department’s widening participation publication from 2022 shows that progression to higher education has increased across all students, including those from ethnic minority backgrounds. Black pupils have seen the greatest increase in the proportion entering HE by age 19, increasing from 44.1% in 2009/10 to 62.1% in 2020/21.The department recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year which have affected students. Decisions on student finance will have to be taken alongside other spending priorities to ensure the system remains financially sustainable and the costs of higher education (HE) are shared fairly between students and taxpayers, not all of whom have benefited from going to university.Many HE providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance. There is £261 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. The department works alongside the Office for Students to ensure that universities support students in hardship, using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.In addition, all households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act, passed on 25 October 2022, includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this Act are set out in the legislation.

Students: Cost of Living

Baroness Chapman of Darlington: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support students with the cost of living.

Baroness Chapman of Darlington: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effects of increases in the cost of living on access to higher education for students from (1) ethnic minority, and (2) disadvantaged, backgrounds.

Baroness Barran: The department recognises the additional cost of living pressures that have arisen this year and that have impacted students. Many higher education (HE) providers have hardship funds that students can apply to for assistance. There is £261 million of student premium funding available this academic year to support disadvantaged students who need additional help. The department is working with with the Office for Students (OfS) to ensure universities support students in hardship using both hardship funds and drawing on the student premium.All households will save on their energy bills through the Energy Price Guarantee and the £400 Energy Bills Support Scheme discount. Students who buy their energy from a domestic supplier are eligible for the energy bills discount. The Energy Prices Act passed on 25th October includes the provision to require landlords to pass benefits they receive from energy price support, as appropriate, onto end users. Further details of the requirements under this act are set out in the legislation.A HM Treasury-led review is being undertaken to consider how to support households and businesses with energy bills after April 2023.Decisions on student support for HE courses are taken on an annual basis and changes for the current 2022/23 academic year were made through Regulations laid in December 2021.The government is currently considering options for changes to loans and grants for living and other costs for the 2023/24 academic year starting in August 2023 and an announcement will follow in due course.The UCAS end of cycle report shows that in 2022 there were record numbers of 18-year-olds getting into university, including those from disadvantaged backgrounds. An English 18-year-old from a disadvantaged background today is 86% more likely to go to university than in 2010.The department’s widening participation publication from 2022 shows that progression to higher education has increased across all students, including those from ethnic minority backgrounds. Black pupils have seen the greatest increase in the proportion entering HE by age 19, increasing from 44.1% in 2009/10 to 62.1% in 2020/21.

Schools: Weather

Baroness Berridge: To ask His Majesty's Government how many school days in England were lost in the last 12 months due to school closures caused by adverse weather conditions.

Baroness Barran: The requested information is not held by the department. Data on sessions missed due to exceptional circumstances is collected, but it is not possible to determine which were missed as a result of adverse weather conditions.

Teachers: Pay

Baroness Garden of Frognal: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to reach a negotiated settlement with trade unions representing the teaching profession in the ongoing industrial dispute over teacher pay and conditions.

Baroness Barran: The department thoroughly appreciates the work the teaching profession does to build a world class education system and offer an excellent education to all. The department acknowledges the dedication and passion of those within the sector.By 2024/25 school funding will reach £58.8 billion. This investment will be funding schools, in real terms per pupil, at the highest ever level in history. In 2023/24 mainstream school funding will increase, on average, by 5.6% per pupil. The department implemented the School Teacher Review Body’s recommendation of a significant 8.9% pay uplift to teacher starting salaries outside London, keeping us on track to deliver the manifesto commitment of £30,000 starting salaries. We also implemented a 5% uplift for experienced teachers. This is the highest pay award for experienced teachers in 30 years and underlines the importance this government attaches to schools. On top of this, around 40% of teachers will get pay increases through progression or promotion of up to 15.9%.Department officials and Ministers meet regularly with teaching unions and other representative bodies to discuss a wide range of school and college policy issues, including actions to improve the daily working lives of teachers. Since confirmation of a formal trade dispute, Ministers have met with unions on multiple occasions. The department will continue to engage going forwards.

Special Educational Needs

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of theproportion of children with Special Educational Needs statements in England compared with other parts of the UK.

Baroness Barran: The numbers of education, health and care (EHC) plans in England for those aged 0-25-years-old, and the proportions of pupils in schools with such plans are published at SEN2, which can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/education-health-and-care-plans, and SEN in England, which can be found at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/special-educational-needs-in-england. This system of issuing EHC plans has replaced that for issuing statements of special educational need.Education is a devolved matter and there are different systems for supporting children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The statutory criteria for eligibility for EHC plans in England are not replicated in the other parts of the United Kingdom. Although there are some similarities over the approach to supporting pupils with SEND across the four nations, any direct comparison of the relevant data should be treated with caution.

Special Educational Needs: Qualifications

Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the advantage for pupils of moving from the current qualification for a Special Educational Needs Coordinator requiring 600 hours training and a Masters qualification, to the proposed 75 hour National Professional Qualification.

Lord Addington: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the proposedreduction in training hoursfor Special Educational Needs Co-ordinators by 525 hours, whether the resources previously allocated to training will be used to provide more specialist support in schools.

Baroness Barran: In March 2022, the Department published the Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND) and Alternative Provision (AP) Green Paper. This included the proposal to replace the current mandatory qualification for Special Educational Needs Coordinators (SENCOs), the National Award for SEN Co-ordination (NASENCO), with a new leadership level National Professional Qualification (NPQ). The NASENCO is a Level 7 postgraduate qualification funded from school budgets, typically equivalent to a third of a full Masters’ degree, taking approximately 225 hours to complete. The time commitment required for leadership NPQs varies between courses and providers.The proposal seeks to improve the level of expertise and leadership amongst SENCOs and ensure they have the knowledge and skills for the role at the earliest opportunity, enabling them to meet the needs of children and young people with SEND. NPQs are underpinned by the latest and best evidence. This would bring the SENCO qualification in line with wider teacher development reforms, with content and delivery quality assured by the Education Endowment Foundation and Ofsted.The Department is now carefully considering the feedback received through the 16-week consultation period. The Department is committed to publishing a full response to the SEND and AP Green Paper, including the proposals on SENCOs, in an Improvement Plan early in the new year. If the proposed SENCO NPQ is to be introduced, the Department will communicate the arrangements around the funding for NPQs in due course.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords: Select Committees

Lord Berkeley: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what are the criteria for the eligibility of members of the House of Lords to be appointed to a select committee on a hybrid Bill; whether comments they have expressed about the merits or otherwise of the Bill are taken into account when considering those appointments; and what plans he has to change the process for appointing members.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The Committee of Selection considers nominations for memberships of select committees, including hybrid bill committees, and makes recommendations to the House. Nominations are submitted by the usual channels and the choice of nominations is up to each party or group.Hybrid bill committees are unlike other select committees in that they perform a quasi-judicial function. There is an expectation that the choice of nominations will consider the importance of ensuring that the committee is perceived as enabling parties to the proceedings to receive a fair adjudication. In addition, Private Business Standing Order 96 provides that a member with an interest in the outcome of a private bill may not serve on the committee on the bill. This is set out in the footnote on page 11 of the Guide to the Code of Conduct (Twelfth Edition: June 2022). Private Business Standing Orders apply to the private bill procedure element of hybrid bills. The usual channels and the Committee of Selection are cognisant of the requirement under Standing Order 96 when formulating nominations and recommending final nominations to the House respectively.The decision on the membership of a select committee on a hybrid bill rests ultimately with the House, which is invited to agree to the proposed membership by way of an appointment motion. There are no plans to change the way in which members of select committees on hybrid bills are appointed.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

China: Diplomatic Service

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government how many diplomats from China are based in the UK; and in which locations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office publishes details of foreign embassies, high commissions and consular posts in the UK on gov.uk, available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/foreign-embassies-in-the-uk. This page includes the London Diplomatic List which contains the addresses and contact details of all embassies and high commissions, as well as the names of heads of mission and other diplomatic agents appointed in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961. The entry for the People's Republic of China, as of December 2022, lists 127 diplomatic agents in the locations set out below. In addition, consular officials are appointed to the Consulates General of the People's Republic of China in Edinburgh, Manchester and Belfast.Embassy of the People's Republic of China49-51 Portland Place W1B 1JLConsular Section31 Portland Place W1B 1QDDefence Section25 Lyndhurst Road NW3 5PAEconomic and Commercial Office16 Lancaster Gate W2 3LHCultural Section11 West Heath Road NW3 7UXEducation Section50 Portland Place W1B 1NQScience & Technology Section10 Greville Place NW6 5JN

Ministry of Defence

Military Aid

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they haveto involve the military in replacing the nurses, paramedics and border force during the strike action.

Baroness Goldie: The Ministry of Defence has no plans to provide military personnel to ‘replace’ nurses and paramedics during the upcoming strike action. Defence will, however, make 500 military personnel available for ambulance driving tasks to support NHS Trusts during January 2023. A further 600 military personnel were made available to support Border Force during the industrial action on the 23-26 and 28-31 December 2022.

Ukraine: Antitank Missiles

Lord West of Spithead: To ask His Majesty's Government how many NLAW anti-tankmissiles (1) have been, and (2) are planned to be, provided to Ukraine; and how many (a) have been, and (b) will be, delivered from the manufacturers to the UK Army in (i) 2022, and (ii) 2023.

Baroness Goldie: As of 21 December 2022, we have delivered approximately 5,500 NLAW anti-tank missiles to Ukraine. We do not comment on future plans for donations of military aid for operational security reasons.No new NLAW missiles were delivered to the British Army in 2022. However, as announced by the Defence Secretary on 7 December 2022, the UK signed a contract with Saab and Thales for several thousand NLAW units which will be delivered to the UK between 2024-2026. This is in addition to an earlier delivery of around 500 units to be delivered in 2023.

Undocumented Migrants: English Channel

Lord Browne of Belmont: To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how many, and (2) what class, of naval ships will be required in the Channel to tackle illegal migrant crossings.

Baroness Goldie: The Royal Navy currently utilises one Class One Offshore Patrol Vessels (from three on rotation), six Archer Class P2000 Patrol Boats, three held at Ramsgate and three held at Portsmouth and a pair of Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs) in support of Defence primacy for responding to small boat migration in the channel. As announced by the Prime Minister, primacy will transfer back to the Home Office from 31 January 2023. In anticipation of this, the Home Office will procure a number of Crew Transfer Vessels to replace the capacity provided by Royal Navy assets.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Birds: Conservation

Lord Robathan: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to either (1) encourage, or (2) mandate,the installation of “swift bricks” in new build or refurbished buildings, to assist conservation by providing nesting cavities for swifts and other birds.

Lord Benyon: All local authorities have a duty to have regard to conserving biodiversity as part of their policy or decision making. As well as this duty, national planning policy states that the planning system should minimise impacts on biodiversity and provide net gains in biodiversity where possible. Planning Practice Guidance published to help implement planning policy makes clear that relatively small features can often achieve important benefits for wildlife, such as incorporating ‘swift bricks’ and bat boxes in developments and providing safe routes for hedgehogs between different areas of habitat. Specific biodiversity features, such as swift bricks, would normally be required of developments through either the relevant local plan or the local authority’s development control team. Through the Environment Act 2021 we have introduced a mandatory duty for developers to deliver a ‘biodiversity net gain’, which will mean that habitats for wildlife must be left in a measurably better state than they were before any development.

Home Office

Isabel Vaughan-Spruce

Lord Pearson of Rannoch: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the arrest of Isabel Vaughan-Spruce by police in Birmingham in December; and what steps they intend to take to ensure that the rights of (1) freedom of religion, and (2) freedom of thought, are upheld.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Government supports Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights that provides everyone with a right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion.The imposition of Public Space Prevention Orders is a matter for the local authorities who are required to consider European Convention rights, including Article 8 that provides a right to respect private and family life. Operational matters and charging are matters for the police.

Refugees: China

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to provide reassurance to the Uyghur, Tibetan, Hong Kong and other Chinese refugee communities in the UK about their security, following the 16 October attack on protesters outside the Chinese consulate.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: As the Minister for Security stated to the House of Commons on 1 November, the Home Office works closely with Departments across Whitehall and with devolved Administrations to ensure that our national security is protected and that, in particular, those who have chosen to settle here are free to engage in our democratic society without fear of the regimes that they have tried to leave behind.Through our excellent police forces and the agencies that work with them, we take a proactive approach to protecting individuals and communities from all manner of threats. Where we identify individuals who may be at heightened risk, we are front-footed in deploying protective security guidance and other measures where necessary.The upcoming National Security Bill will strengthen our legal powers to deal with transnational repression. Coercion, harassment or intimidation linked to a foreign power that interfere with the freedoms of individuals will be criminalised under the new foreign interference offence in the Bill.Home Office Ministers have asked officials to step up the work to ensure that our approach to transnational repression is robust, and the Security Minister has asked our Department to review our approach to transnational repression as a matter of urgency. The Security Minister will provide an update on that work to the House in due course.

Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities

Buildings: Safety

Baroness Pinnock: To ask His Majesty's Government how they expect the provisions of the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill, if passed, will interact with the Building Safety Act 2022; and what steps they will take to ensure provisions in the Act concerning building safety standards are not undermined by the revocation of retained EU law.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: I refer the noble Baroness to the answer given (attached) to PQ 105305 on 12 December 2022.PQ 105305 (pdf, 87.6KB)

Homelessness

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of households at risk of being made homeless over the coming year by landlords who cannot meet their costs at current levels of rent given the increase in interest rates; and what steps they intend to take to protect such households.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: No such assessment has been made. The causes of homelessness are complex, and it is driven by a range of factors, both personal and structural.Government is committed to preventing homelessness where possible. We have announced the allocation of £654 million in funding through the Homelessness Prevention Grant that will be made available to local authorities in 2023/24 and 2024/25. This is in addition to the £50 million top-up to the Homelessness Prevention Grant for 2022/23 announced earlier in December.This is on top of the action Government has taken to support households with the cost of living. At Autumn statement, the Chancellor announced further support for 2023/24. This included a 10.1% increase in benefits from April 2023, and extra support provided to all households with the Energy Price Guarantee which will save the average UK household £500 in 2023-24.

Elections: Proof of Identity

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask His Majesty's Government when the website for people to apply for a free voter ID will be available to use.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the Electoral Commission about when the publicity campaign for the Voter ID website will commence.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to provide extra funding to the Electoral Commission to enable a bigger publicity campaign to be run over a shorter timescale to highlight the requirement to present photo voter ID.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask His Majesty's Government whether there will be publicly available statistics showing how many people have applied for an ID on the Voter ID website.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to delaying the implementation of Voter ID, given the concerns expressed by the Association of Election Administrators, the Local Government Association, and Electoral Commission.

Lord Wallace of Saltaire: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to ensure that the number of voters turned away from polling stations at the elections in May 2023 is recorded and published.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Government is working closely with the Electoral Commission and local authorities to introduce voter identification at elections from May 2023.The Electoral Commission is a body independent of the Government and is accountable to the UK Parliament. Funding of its duties including public awareness raising campaigns is a matter for the Speaker's Committee of the House of Commons.The Voter Authority Certificate Application Service will go live on 16 January 2023 and updates on applications will be provided in due course.Data will be collected by Returning Officers, including on incidences of electors not providing acceptable voter identification in polling stations, to inform the Electoral Commission and DLUHC evaluations of polls in May and the two future UK Parliamentary General Elections.The department has an extensive change network including local authorities, Valuation Joint Boards, and electoral organisations which is supporting the implementation of voter identification in May 2023 and beyond.

Absent Voting: Fraud

Baroness Pinnock: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the levels of fraud in the operation of postal voting; and what plans they have, if any, to introduce photo identification requirements for postal voting.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: The Electoral Commission publishes a report annually on electoral fraud. I also refer the noble peer to the report by (then) Sir Eric Pickles on electoral fraud, which identified a series of weaknesses in the postal vote process (attached). https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/securing-the-ballot-review-into-electoral-fraud.That report was commissioned following the 2015 Election Court ruling on electoral corruption in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets.There are longstanding security measures which enhance the security of the postal voting process, including requiring postal voters to provide personal identifiers at the time of applying for a postal vote and which are checked at the time of a poll. The Elections Act 2022 introduces a package of sensible measures to enhance the security around absent voting including an identity check at the point of application for a postal vote, whereby an applicant will need to provide their National Insurance number to be checked against Government records. This process mirrors the current practice for Registering to Vote.As is usual, the Government will keep this area of policy under review in the future.Electoral fraud (pdf, 673.1KB)

Electoral Register: British Nationals Abroad

Baroness Pinnock: To ask His Majesty's Government what identifying information is required for residents not living in the UK to register to vote in UK elections.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: Currently an overseas elector must be a British citizen who was previously registered within the UK within the last 15 years. Overseas electors are subject to identity checks when registering to vote in the same way as domestic electors.They are required to provide their full name, date of birth and National Insurance number to be checked against DWP data. If an overseas applicant’s identity cannot be verified via the National Insurance number check, they can be required to provide an attestation of identity from a registered overseas elector who is not a close family member. Overseas electors are also subject to checks to demonstrate their connection to the address at which they are registering.

Regional Planning and Development

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government whether a proportion of the additional £400 million added to round two of the Levelling Up Fund will be allocated to Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales in line with the Barnett Formula.

Baroness Scott of Bybrook: We received a large number of high-quality applications to the Levelling Up Fund and as such made the decision to allocate additional funds for this round.This means that up to £2.1 billion will be granted to successful bids in this round across the UK - up to £400 million more than last time.Over the first and second round of the Fund, we have committed that at least 9% of total UK allocations will be set aside for Scotland, 5% for Wales, and 3% for Northern Ireland, subject to a suitable number of high-quality bids coming forward. This is at least as much as would have been received through Barnett consequentials.

Cabinet Office

Foreign Investment in UK

Lord Monks: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the approximate value of Foreign Direct Investment in the UK in (1) the six years preceding the EU referendum in 2016, and (2) the six years since.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The information requested falls under the remit of the UK Statistics Authority.A response to the Hon. Member's Parliamentary Question: HL4423 is attached. Response to Lord Monks (pdf, 115.9KB)

Intelligence Services

Lord Tyrie: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans to place the Fulford Principles relating to the detention and interviewing of detainees overseas on a statutory basis.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government has no plans to place The Principles on a statutory basis.

Treasury

Commodity Markets

Baroness Worthington: To ask His Majesty's Government what consumer protections are in place for consumers directly or indirectly investing in commodity derivatives.

Baroness Penn: Most commodity derivatives are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), who have an operational objective to secure appropriate protection for consumers of regulated financial services. The protections the FCA have in place to protect consumers include requiring firms to provide clients with a general description of the nature and risks of financial instruments, and a warning that people usually lose money when trading speculative instruments with commodities as an underlying asset. These protections apply when consumers participate in the market directly and indirectly and enables them to make investment decisions on an informed basis. Depending on the circumstances, consumers may also be able to qualify for Financial Services Compensation Scheme protection when dealing indirectly with commodity markets.

Cryptocurrencies: Advertising

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of cryptocurrency advertisements being targeted at (1) young people, and (2) people from minority communities, including with the involvement of celebrities, sports stars and sports teams; and what plans they have, if any, to place restrictions on such advertising.

Baroness Penn: The government’s ambition is to make the UK a global hub for cryptoasset technology and investment. In April, previous Ministers set out a number of reforms which will see the regulation and aspects of tax treatment of cryptoassets evolve. The government will also consult on its approach to regulating wider cryptoasset activities in the coming weeks. Recent events in cryptoasset markets have highlighted the importance of establishing regulation which supports safe innovation and protects consumers and stability. As the cryptoasset market has developed rapidly, HMT and the FCA have been working at pace to adapt existing regulation to the challenges – and opportunities – posed by unique cryptoassets. For instance, to protect consumers, the FCA has banned the sale of cryptoasset derivatives to retail consumers and in January 2022 the government published a response to a consultation on a proposal to bring certain cryptoassets into the scope of financial promotions regulation. The forthcoming legislation on cryptoasset promotions, and supporting FCA rules, will regulate in-scope cryptoasset financial promotions, requiring them to be fair, clear and not misleading. This is aimed at improving consumers’ understanding of the risks and benefits associated with cryptoasset purchases and ensuring that cryptoasset promotions are held to the same standards as similar risk financial services products. The government also draws attention to and restates the FCA’s warnings to consumers that buyers of most cryptoassets should be prepared to lose all of the money they invest. The government and the Cryptoassets Taskforce continue to closely monitor the wider cryptoasset market and will stand ready to take further regulatory action if required.

Commodity Markets

Baroness Worthington: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the value of commodity derivatives or economically equivalent contracts which were traded (1) over the counter, and (2) in trading venues in the UK, by FCA-regulated firms in respect of (a) oil, (b) gas, (c) coal, (d) electricity, and (e) soft commodities, in the past 12 months.

Baroness Worthington: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many consumers have directly invested in commodity derivatives for (1) oil, (2) gas, (3) coal, (4) electricity, and (5) soft commodities, in the past 12 months.

Baroness Worthington: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of how many consumers have invested in commodity derivatives for (1) oil, (2) gas, (3) coal, (4) electricity, and (5) soft commodities, via automatic enrolment in workplace pensions over the past 12 months.

Baroness Worthington: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the revenue and earnings attributable to UK listed firms from (1) trading commodity derivatives, and (2) economically equivalent over the counter contracts.

Baroness Penn: HM Treasury does not hold this data. However, such data may be provided publicly by certain financial markets data companies.

Ministry of Justice

Family Courts

Baroness Pitkeathley: To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of children who have been moved from one parental residence to another, as a result of emotional harm or parental alienation findings in Family Court Proceedings.

Lord Bellamy: Incidences of children who have been moved from one parental residence to another, as a result of findings of emotional harm, parental alienation or alienating behaviours in family court proceedings are not recorded centrally. Such information can only be obtained from individual case files at disproportionate cost.